


Welcome to the Quarter Quell

by gaytriforce



Category: The Hunger Games, catching fire - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:06:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24790543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaytriforce/pseuds/gaytriforce
Summary: Peeta goes to see Haymitch after the third Quarter Quell announcement.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Welcome to the Quarter Quell

The words ring in my mind before I can make sense of them. The strongest among them. 

My first thoughts fly to them. What will they think of this? The people. To them, a blessing, surely, for their children are safe for another year. 

Those who would have stood in that square for the last time this summer are surely rejoicing. Would that be me, I wonder, if Effie’s hand hadn’t landed on my name in the reaping ball?

The reaping. My thoughts scatter. Katniss! She’s the only female victor in District Twelve. She will be guaranteed a spot on the stage.

My body moves before my thoughts do. I stand, and immediately fall, forgetting my artificial leg in my haste.

The pain as I thud to the floor brings me back to some sort of reality. I feel sick at the thought watching Katniss from behind a screen as she rises into a land of unknown horrors. Alone.

Except for Haymitch. It will be between me and him. I pull myself up, my feet tracing the path to his home before I can even register what I’m doing.

A thought stops me. If I go in with Katniss, protect her until my dying moment, let her wear the ultimate crown, what will happen?

Will she marry Gale? Have children, upon realizing how she truly wants them? Have a life unburdened by her expected love for me?

Yes, that’s what I would want for her. If I were gone.

Worse yet, if Haymitch dies in the arena, and one of us comes out, what will she do? Will she be forced to love me, for the rest of her life?

She will have to.

I can’t let that happen.

I’m unsure even now how she feels about me. In this moment, I can’t process the strength of my feelings for her.

All I know is that when I ask myself if I would die for her, the answer is so immediate and resounding I almost miss it.

It’s yes, every time.

And suddenly, I know. It will mean my death. Most likely, Haymitch will conceal his grief and rot away in his house.

But it will mean her life.

Then I’m sprinting, as fast as my unnatural leg will allow. I’m moving, moving until I am drenched in sweat and panting.

Until I am in front of Haymitch’s house.

In my fervor, I don’t notice the normal odor as I let myself in. I stand in front of his kitchen table, where he is sat, bottle and opener in hand. 

He smirks as I knew he would, not taking his eyes off his bottle for a moment. “Here to ask me to stay out, are you boy?” I take a seat, careful to avoid the shattered glass on the table.

“You know what I want, Haymitch. You have to let me save her. It’s the only way.” He looks up at me, and for the briefest of moments, I swear I can see pain register in his eyes.

“You know how she feels. You won’t convince her to stay alive with some big declaration of love.” I look at him, uncertain of what he means.

“I don’t, actually. Know how she feels. But I can’t risk losing her. The world... the world needs her, Haymitch. And you can help us more from outside than in.”

He casts his gaze down at the table once more. His hands are shaking.

“I suppose there’s nothing to do but sit back and let you convince me.” There’s a note of hollow humor there, but it’s lost on me in my efforts.

“You two think alike. You know it. She knew everything you were telling her to do through your mind games. I won’t understand it, but it works. And she can act. Everyone believed it, in the Games. Even me.”

I try not to let the self pity slip into my voice, but it’s a lost effort. Haymitch looks at me with something that could almost be fatherly for a moment, before taking a long swig from his bottle. 

“I’ll do it. But you know she’ll be here. I’m sure she’s locked herself up somewhere, maybe crying to that sister of hers, but as soon as she comes to, she’ll be here. To make a deal to save you.”

I know he’s right. No matter what Katniss may feel for me romantically, she’ll never stop believing I’m the better of the two of us. I wish I could make her see how wrong she is.

“Lie to her, then. Be snarky, deny her at first, then tell her you’ll do it. I wasn’t lying when I said you two were alike. You’re one hell of an actor, too.”

His eyes flash, and I can’t tell if I’ve offended him, or maybe brought up a past memory, something painful, but he covers it quickly by nodding his assent.

I turn, ready to walk out the door, when he calls out to me.

“Peeta.” I’m surprised. He rarely calls me by my name.

I raise one eyebrow at him. The tears forming in his eyes shock me more than anything.

“If you’re hellbent on protecting that girl... do it with glory. Don’t let them kill you for nothing.”

The words fall from my lips before I can calculate how to respond.

“They won’t be. I love her.”

I hear his fist slam on his table, but I am so far, far away. My heart races as I determine what to do next.

We must keep the love of the Capitol. It’s our only hope for sponsors, to get her what she needs to come home. The other victors will be angry, desperate. I’ll have to pull out another showstopper.

If we’re engaged, why not fabricate a baby?

It would be much too taboo to present a pregnant, unmarried Katniss at seventeen. No, I will say we got married in secret. Project our love as too pure for the lush of the Capitol. Something just for us, simultaneously shared with the world.

I can’t tell her. She’ll object, second-guess, wonder what everyone back home will think. She might see it as a weakness. I won’t risk having to explain how it will gain her endless sympathy in the arena.

I’ll never understand why she sees everything as a weakness. Maybe it has something to do with vulnerability after her father’s death. Maybe it has something to do with the Games.

I think back to where we were a year ago. Katniss, risking her life, in the woods, with Gale. Myself, spending hours hauling burning loaves out of the oven. 

I want to know if the life I’m choosing for her is better. If giving myself up is better than what she could’ve had with no reaping. No Games. No Quell.

How did Prim’s name come out of the ball?

We’ve all thought of it. Effie would say the honor was meant for Katniss, so fate chose Prim. Katniss would probably say it doesn’t matter how she got there, only that she didn’t have to go any further.

What would Haymitch say?

He would say... that the Capitol put her there. Knowing she had no chance, knowing their father reeled of rebellion... they put that little girl into their horror show as soon as they could. To punish their mother for breaking the status quo.

Suddenly, I’m sick. I rise to my feet, disgusted at what these people can do to children. To all of their people.

“Boy, don’t you go doing anything stupid.” I hear Haymitch warn.

“Oh, so now it’s stupid to prevent a future for Katniss that she doesn’t want? Haymitch, you did something in efforts to get back to your family, and they took that family from you. We have to give Katniss a chance at a life she would be happy living.”

I expect him to come at me for mentioning his family, but when I look at him, something that can only be described as regret is present on his face.

“You’re too good for these Games, kid.” He says finally, leaning back to take another sip of liquor.

I turn to leave for the second time when he stops me.

“Don’t let them change you.”

That was the only time I ever saw Haymitch look truly desperate.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I adore comments, they fuel my soul! I’ve been sitting on this one awhile, so I finished it this morning and got it up. I’ll have a few more fics out today, most likely Love, Victor as it came out yesterday and I binged it. Let me know if you want to read more from this fandom or more from me in general!


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